Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria.

It was reported on Thursday morning that a woman had been shot dead at the Pretoria home of Pistorius and Johannesburg's Talk Radio 702 claimed it was the girlfriend of the athlete.

The Beeld newspaper named his girlfriend as model Reeva Steenkamp, 30.

Pistorius was arrested and taken into police custody and following questioning and police spokeswoman Sarah Mcira confirmed he had been charged with murder. The 26-year-old will appear in court on Friday morning.

Brigadier Denise Beukes confirmed police will oppose any bail application that is made.

Beukes added that police were surprised by suggestions that the woman who was killed was mistaken for a burglar.

"Our forensic investigation is still ongoing, but we are not sure where this report came from," Beukes said. "There were no reports of forced entry.

"South Africa police were surprised to hear this morning over the radio allegations made that the deceased had been perceived to be a burglar. We were very surprised and those allegations did not come from us."

No other suspects are being sought. "The only two people on the premises were the resident and deceased," she said.

Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said police were called following a shooting at a townhouse complex in the Silver Lakes district.

"When police arrived they found the paramedics attending to the woman. The paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation of the scene," he said.

Mogale added: "The incident happened at 3am. We received a call and attended the scene. The call did not come from the man in custody but from another person."

Pistorius, who competes wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, has won gold medals at three successive Paralympic Games and was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the semi-finals of the 400m at London 2012.

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